As the Baltimore Orioles wind down what can charitably be called a difficult season, there is one truth that is self-evident: This is really hard to watch.
And judging by the numbers, only a hardy few are still hanging in there. Indeed, according to one source, Orioles TV ratings were down a whopping 50 percent at the All-Star break. And last Sunday’s competitive-ish 5-3 loss to the New York Yankees was ESPN’s worst-rated Sunday night broadcast featuring the Bombers in three years.
The drop-off is perfectly understandable and not just because of the losing. After all, we all knew that the blowup of not only the roster, but of organizational philosophy and (probably) power structure was not only needed, but well overdue. So the problem isn’t just that Manny Machado is wearing Dodgers blue, Jonathan Schoop has donned Brewers gear and Zach Britton is – cough – in pinstripes, it’s that in immediate aftermath, there simply isn’t much to get excited about.
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There is no 2012 Machado banging loudly on the big-league door. There isn’t even a pre-injury Dylan Bundy to get excited about, just regular, present-day Dylan Bundy. Instead, this is primarily a collection of middling veterans, most of whom are over the age of 26.
That being said, there are some good reasons to watch the Orioles as the season winds down, you just have to open your mind a bit.
The Adam Jones farewell tour
The most celebrated piece in a wonderful 2008 trade with the Seattle Mariners (where have you gone, Erik Bedard?), Jones has essentially been the Mr. Oriole of the last decade. On the field, Jones has compiled a 109 OPS+, 262 home runs, 301 doubles and 88 stolen bases in 11 seasons in Baltimore. He’s been an All-Star five times, a Gold Glove center fielder four times and a top-15 finisher in AL MVP balloting on three occasions.
Off the field, he’s been a clubhouse leader, a model citizen and an honest, straightforward voice on pretty much any topic thrown at him, from race issues in baseball, ways to improve the game (or leave it alone) and everything in between.
Asked earlier this season about his position as a potential icon for African-American citizens of Baltimore, Jones said:
“I’ve thought about that, being on the side of the African-Americans, but it’s more – I think it’s good just to be able to have the longevity and the respect of your peers. Other players, front offices, they see the way I play the game, what I bring to the communities of Baltimore. And I’m not the only one – there are lots of great players of all races doing very good things in their local communities – but it’s just part of who I am. This is not a facade. This is just the genuine me. It’s easy to do that. You know, it’s easy to be myself. A lot of people try to be other people, but it’s always been easy for me to be myself.”
Jones blocked a trade to the Phillies before the trade deadline because (1) it was his right to do so and (2) he didn’t want to go anywhere else. He knew his playing time might be affected as the Orioles sought to test young talent. He knew he might be shifted to a corner outfield spot. Jones accepted it all and there hasn’t been a hint of discord. In fact, young center fielder Cedric Mullins has acknowledged the support he has received from the veteran.
Jones will be a free agent at the end of the season, so the assumption is that he will go to a team seeking veteran outfield help. If that’s the case, it’s worth watching every last one of his games in an Orioles uniform. But who knows, maybe he’ll return in 2019.
The same for Buck Showalter
Like Jones, there is a chance Showalter will be back as manager, or in another role, next season. But as the franchise undergoes a huge transition, there’s a solid chance he won’t.
There might be a tendency for some to have a negative perception of Showalter, in part simply because he is associated with this miserable 2018 team and in part because of one unfortunate decision regarding his bullpen usage in a 2016 AL Wild Card defeat to the Toronto Blue Jays.
But when you step back and view the larger picture, what you see is a manager who kept a team competitive among the heavyweights of the AL East and reached the playoffs three times in his eight-plus seasons at the helm. They even won the division title in 2014 and missed it by two games in 2012.
His 2012-16 teams were consistently competitive despite a stunning dearth of quality starting pitching, very little help from the minor leagues and a flawed roster that relied too heavily on power while lacking speed and on-base skills.
This is worth a tip of a cap to Buck if these are indeed his final handful of games as Orioles manager.
Sneak preview on position battles for 2019
While the Orioles are unlikely to call up anyone of note (with the possible exception of Austin Hays) in September – let’s be honest, anyone who is anyone is already here – there are some position battles worth keeping an eye on. There is, after all, the possibility that some players can make a splash now in order to gain a leg up on roster competitions next spring.
One of those position battles is center field, where Mullins might have an edge but could receive an outside challenge from John Andreoli. The 28-year-old Andreoli doesn’t have a big bat, but he can run (247 steals in the minors), get on base (.373 OBP in minors) and defend.
Mullins is younger (turning 24 in October), can also run and defend and has the edge on upside as a hitter. This figures to be an interesting battle in spring training, and we might get a preview of it in this final month of the season.
Another area to watch is catcher, where Chance Sisco has been a disappointment in his first extended look in the majors, hitting .195 with a .595 OPS. He is currently at Triple-A Norfolk, where he has been only slightly better at .238 with a .677 OPS. The Orioles will have to work to rebuild his confidence.
Meanwhile, Austin Wynns has taken over and put up decent, if unspectacular numbers, hitting .267 with a .708 OPS in 80 plate appearances. Those two, plus incumbent Caleb Joseph, could be battling for major league roster spots in spring training. May as well get a head start on the competition now.
On the pitching side of things, the bullpen, which was one of the Orioles’ main weapons during the bulk of Showalter’s tenure, is in a shambles. Mychal Givens, once a reliable arm in middle-to-low-leverage situations, has struggled in more important roles. He blew his fourth save (in nine attempts) of the season on Saturday, and is 0-7 with a 4.76 ERA on the season. And we shouldn’t pick on Givens as most everyone not named Paul Fry has struggled.
While the O’s probably aren’t going to need a legitimate closer for a couple of years, it would be nice to sort out some bullpen roles sooner rather than later, as having late-inning shutdown guys could help build confidence for young starters and take pressure off young hitters as well.
Who will step up and grab those late-inning roles next spring? The next couple of weeks could provide some clues, and help the Orioles decide whether they need to fast track any of their recent acquisitions like Zach Pop, Dean Kremer, Dillon Tate, Bruce Zimmermann or Luis Ortiz for roles in the bullpen (or rotation, for that matter) in 2019.
Orioles Analyst
Bob Harkins is a veteran journalist who has worked as a writer, editor and producer for numerous outlets, including 13 years at NBCSports.com. He is also the creator of the Razed Sports documentary podcast and the founder of Story Hangar, a network of documentary podcasters.